Shades of Darkness: Return of the Jackal
by Suren
Summary: Sequel to Journey into Darkness. Months after bringing Cosmo back from the dead, Tails is still feeling the after effects of what Sevag the Jackal did to him. But, nothing could prepare him for what was about to transpire, and who he was about meet...
1. Prologue: A Sandopolis Romance

All characters, save for those created by me, are properties of Sega and Sonic Team

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**Shades of Darkness: Return of the Jackal**

**"To speak the name of the dead...is to make him live again..." --Ancient Egyptian Proverb**

**Sandopolis--**

"Good evening, my princess." Sevag said politely as he bowed before Princess Midiana, who was entering her bedchambers for the night.

"Oh Sevag, you know you don't need to be so formal around me." Midiana giggled, and the vixen stooped down to stroke under Sevag's chin.

"But it seems so fitting." Said Sevag with a grin. "For I cannot help but be humbled by your beauty."

Midiana blushed a little, and slowly brought her face closer to his, and they shared a

deep, passionate kiss. The love that they shared, however forbidden, was one that only

grew deeper the more they were together. She a princess of an entire kingdom, and he a

lowly orphaned servant, they were thevery definition of star-crossed love. All they had in their lonely existences

were each other. Should Midina's father have ever found out, Sevag would surely have been executed.

"So, how was your day, my princess?" Sevag asked, as they moved to sit at the edge of her bed.

Midiana's bright and joyful face became a look of tragedy, and she looked down to the ground. " Father is getting more serious about marrying me off to the Echidna king soon…"

Sevag gave a look of great concern. "Then we must do something!"

"What could we do, Sevag?" Midiana asked hopelessly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"The time has come for us to finally carry out our plan." Said Sevag, bringing his hand to her face to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Midiana, run away with me."

She looked into Sevag's eyes. "Run away? But…but to where? My father, he'll search to the ends of Mobius to find me."

"Then that is a chance we will have to take." Said Sevag.

Midiana put her arms around Sevag, and buried her muzzle deep into his shoulder, and began to sob. "If…if I don't marry the Echidna king, he…he may order his troops to invade Sandopolis. He wants the Chaos Emerald, Sevag…"

Sevag embraced her," Yet another risk…but everything we have shared together came at a risk. This is nothing new."

"But Sevag…you don't understand…"Midiana sobbed" I…I haven't told you yet…"

"Told me what?" asked Sevag.

"I'm…I'm so sorry Sevag…I'm afraid…I'm afraid what I'm about to tell you…may be the final nail in the casket for us…when my father finds out…" Midiana said, crying.

"What is it Midiana? Please tell me! I'm sure I will think of something!"

Midiana pulled out of Sevag's embrace, and placed her hands on his shoulders. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, before Midiana uttered those fateful words.

"Sevag…I'm pregnant…"


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 **

_  
__Tails rushed to his mother, grabbing her hand. Cosmo then ran behind Tails, putting her arms around him to help pull his mother out of the void. _

"No! This can't be!" Sevag screamed," If I am to be cast into oblivion, I shall take you with me Midiana!"

"Never!" Tails screamed as he clung to his mother's hand.

"Miles, you've grown up to be such a brave, courageous boy…"said Midiana calmly, "I regret not having been there to watch you grow up…"

"It's okay mother, just don't give up!"

"I apologize for leaving you as an orphan…I apologize for being roboticised. I just hope you understand why I must do this…"

"Must do what?" asked Tails, with tears in his eyes.

"Goodbye…Miles…" Midiana said, as tears rolled down her cheeks. She let go of Tails' hand.

"No! Mother!"

Tails awoke suddenly, in a cold sweat. He was panting, laying on his back with Cosmo's arm

draped over his chest. He was momentarily startled to find himself outside, but then he

remembered that he and Cosmo had come out to watch the sunset together, underneath a lone

palm tree at the edge of a sea cliff near his house. He supposed they had somehow fallen asleep.

_Mother…_

Tails shut his eyes tight, trying to block the images from his mind. It had been nearly six months

since that fateful day, when his mother sacrificed herself so that he and Cosmo could live, and

Sevag would be sealed away for good. But Tails still mourned for his mother, who he had hardly

known. He gazed up at the night sky, dominated by a full moon, still feeling Cosmo's warm body

against his own. He carefully lifted her arm off his chest and sat up.

Tails hadn't been the same since the events that had lead to Cosmo's resurrection. Since those

events…since Sevag…he seemed older, perhaps more mature. He seemed darker now. He

wondered how he could still be dark, and still be in pain, when lying beside him at that very

moment was everything he had ever wanted. Of course he was always happy to have Cosmo

around. The two had been inseparable since her return. They did everything together. Cosmo

would sit and watch as tails built airplanes and other machinery, and Tails would help her cook

and tend to the garden they had planted.

But deep within Tails, he was still full of sorrow, and darkness. Maybe it was a side effect of

having used the dark side of the Chaos Emeralds. He hoped Cosmo hadn't noticed it, that she

believed everything was fine. However, there were a few times where he had almost lost control

in front of her. One time about a month after her return, she had been watching Tails repair the X

Tornado. But, in order to give it power he had to install a Chaos emerald. Tails wouldn't come in

contact with them, he didn't want to. He never told anyone why. But it was because he was afraid

of reawakening his dark powers. He asked Cosmo to install it, even though she was on the other

side of the room, and when she asked why he didn't just do it himself, he gave her a dark, cold

gaze and growled. After she very cautiously obeyed him, he deeply apologized, saying he didn't

know what had come over him. But Tails feared that it had put a permanent amount of distrust

between himself and Cosmo. Tails couldn't help but beat himself up over the incident.

_This is all because of mother…mother and Sevag… _

Tails had been having the same nightmare night after night for the past week, reliving the events

leading to his mother's demise. Cosmo had been very sympathetic since the event; she knew what

it was like to lose ones mother. She tried everything to comfort him. If not for Cosmo, he surely

would have lost his sanity by now.

Tails stared up, his eyes locked on the full moon, its beautiful face beckoning the canine instincts

within himself. Losing himself in his pain, he closed his eyes and let out a long, sorrowful howl,

something he had not done in six months.

"Tails? Tails what are you doing? What's wrong?"

Tails stopped, the beautiful voice snapping him back into reality. He looked back at Cosmo, who was looking up at him with fear and concern in her eyes.

"S-sorry Cosmo! I…I was-"

"Tails…you're glowing…"

Tails looked down at himself. _No…no it can't be…_

Tails was surrounded by a purple aura. The same aura he had gotten when he tapped onto the dark powers of the Chaos Emeralds. But…there were no emeralds to be seen. The aura vanished, moments after Tails became aware of its presence.

"Cosmo…I…I can't explain it…" Tails wished he knew what was going on, and wished he could tell Cosmo everything was okay.

"That sound you were making…what were you doing?" Cosmo asked frightfully.

"Wha…oh that? I…I was howling." Tails said.

"Howling? Is that what that sound is called? Why did you make that sound? It sounded…so sad."

Tails realized Cosmo wasn't familiar with the concept of howling at the moon." It's something that canines do sometimes, and foxes are canines."

"Is it something that they do when they are unhappy?" Cosmo asked.

"Well it can be…"said Tails as his ears drooped. Cosmo gave a concerned look, and hugged Tails.

"You were having another nightmare." Said Cosmo, "I only wish there were something I could do, Tails, to make you happy…"

Tails hugged back, sensing the sadness in her voice. "Cosmo, you've done everything you can do. You've given me everything I could ever ask for."

"I feel like there's nothing I can do to make the pain go away." Said Cosmo sadly, "that I am being nothing but a burden to you…"

"Don't you ever say that Cosmo." Said Tails firmly, looking her in the eyes.

"But I can sense it…you're returning to the darkness." Said Cosmo.

"I'll never do that Cosmo. I won't let it…"

"But what if you can't control it tails?" said Cosmo, beginning to cry, "You saw what just happened…it happened by itself Tails. There weren't any emeralds around."

Tails held Cosmo tightly as she cried into his chest. She was right. Tails was now beginning to worry about it himself. But he tried to remain calm, and comfort Cosmo.

"Cosmo, we're going to see everyone tomorrow. I'll ask Sonic about it then. He always knows what to do."

Cosmo dried her tears, and looked up at Tails. "I suppose…that is all we can really do…"

"Please don't worry about it Cosmo…" Tails said, feeling guilty for having ever brought tears to Cosmo's eyes.

"I know it is not your fault Tails, you cannot help it." Said Cosmo, as they both stood up, "It is seeing you in pain that hurts me…I feel like I have brought you nothing but pain since we met."

Tails embraced her tightly." Don't ever think that Cosmo. Meeting you was the best thing ever to happen to me."

"That is sweet of you to say Tails." Cosmo replied.

"Come on Cosmo, let's go inside and get some rest. Don't worry yourself until we know for sure what's wrong.

"Okay Tails…" Cosmo said as Tails took her by the hand and walked toward his house. He was trying desperately to cheer her up and pretend nothing was wrong. But deep inside, he was just as scared as she was. Tails hoped Sonic really would know what to do.

As they walked in, they were too caught up in their thoughts and fears to notice a lone cloaked figure perched upon a cliff over looking Tails' house.

"So…his power is still intact. And the girl still lives." The figure said to himself, and turned around as his long cloak flowed behind him. "I shall report this good news to the others."

The figure took a Chaos Emerald from under his cloak and held it out. "Chaos…control!"

And he vanished from sight.


	3. A New Accomplice

A New Accomplice

Sevag walked into a busy temple from the hot desert sun. The temple was built to Shadefretep, god of life, death, rebirth, and sorcery. It was a refuge Sevag often took when he was allowed to leave the palace. It was at the steps of this very temple where he had been found. He had fled there after his parents were killed by a band of echidna desert bandits. The priest, a wolf by the name of Akves, had been the one who took Sevag in and later found him a job in the palace. Sevag hoped one day to perhaps become a priest of Shadefretep as well, and become a master at sorcery. But if what Midiana had told him were true…that may not happen.

Sevag sighed as he entered the sanctuary. The room was dominated by a huge golden statue of Shadefretep, a deity represented as a jackal with twin fox tails.

"Does something trouble you, my boy?" came a voice from behind Sevag. He turned and saw Akves standing behind him, dressed in his ceremonial cloak.

Sevag sighed again heavily. "Yes, dear Akves, I am afraid so…"

"Well then Sevag, please come to my chambers." Akves looked around suspiciously, "We will have privacy there."

They walked through the long corridors in the temple until they came to a secluded doorway and entered Akves' chambers. Akves pulled up a chair and invited sevag to sit.

"It is about the Princess isn't it? I can sense it." Said Akves.

"Yes…yes it is." Said Sevag sadly. Akves was the only other person who knew about their secret love. Sevag trusted Akves, and knew the secret was safe with him. "It appears we may have to execute our plan sooner than expected."

Akves now gave Sevag his full attention. "Are you sure? What reason, may I ask?"

"Well, firstly the king wants Midiana to marry the echidna king soon." Sevag began.

"Curses, and all because he wants to form an alliance with them right?" said Akves disgustedly. Although he was meant to be loyal to the king of Sandopolis, he secretly despised him. "Marriage should be an act of love, not political union. And what's more, the Echidna King is old enough to be her father!"

"There's more…much more." Sevag interrupted.

"Sorry, please go on." Said Akves.

"Midiana...she's…" Sevag could hardly stand to say it," …she's pregnant."

"Pregnant? She is?" said Akves, bewildered. "But…what if the king finds out?"

"I know…"said Sevag sadly," I'll be executed…and who knows what he'll do to Midiana."

Akves stood up from his seat. "So, the time has indeed finally come. I just didn't think it would be so soon."

"Yes, I suppose it has."

"Don't worry Sevag, you have my full support." Said Akves, "The time has come for you and Midiana to flee Sandopolis together.'

"But what about the pregnancy?" asked Sevag. "How are we going to hide that until we can seize the opportunity to escape?"

"I have a plan." Said Akves, "The echidna king will not take a wife who cannot prove herself in combat. Fighting is the way of the echidna. I can present the king with the idea of Midiana being trained in the martial arts by none other than myself. But, instead of training her, I will enchant her with spells, making the pregnancy very short and safe."

Sevag looked up at Akves. "Thank you for all you've done for me."

"Don't mention it." Said Akves with a smile, "In due time, you and Midiana will be living happily somewhere else."

"But tomorrow, Midiana is going to the echidna King's palace, where she'll have to prove herself in combat with the Princess Tikal."

"Oh, I see. So the King wants to see if Midiana will make him a worthy queen." Akves said, as he thought of a strategy. "Tell Midiana to throw the match. If she loses, the Echidna king will either lose interest in her, or he may say she needs more training before he marries her.. that would give us the perfect excuse for me to offer to train her."

"Alright I will tell Midiana this." Said Sevag. They said their farewells, and Sevag left the temple with a newfound confidence.


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Tails laid awake in bed as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. His eyes were dried and  
bloodshot, he hadn't gotten any sleep all night. Next to him Cosmo seemed to be sleeping  
well enough, despite the fact that she had been tossing and turning a lot. Perhaps her  
sleep was filled with nightmares too, Tails pondered. Tails on the other hand had been up  
all night, avoiding sleep for fear of what nightmares may come. But that still hadn't  
prevented the nightmarish, depressing thoughts from echoing in her mind.

_I suppose this is the price I must pay…for having her brought back to me…_

It was almost a relief to him as he saw the first rays of morning sunlight beam through the window, pouring over Cosmo's face as well as his own. Tails rolled on his side, and stared into her face as she slept, softly placing his hand on her cheek.

_This pain…its all worth it for her._

Cosmo began to stir, and when she opened her eyes the first thing she saw were Tails' eyes staring into hers. Cosmo smiled brightly.

"Good morning Tails," she said softly," how was your sleep?"

"It was fine…"Tails lied," …and yours?"

"Mine was fine too…" said Cosmo, in a tone that told tails that she must have also been lying. "So, shall I make us some breakfast?"

"Okay Cosmo." Said Tails with a fake smile. Cosmo smiled back and left the room, leaving Tails alone once again with his thoughts.

Tails could see that there was something bothering Cosmo too. She was never very good  
at hiding her true emotions. Tails hated the thought that he was causing her any pain. He  
hated even more the fact that Cosmo felt she was causing him pain. Tails gave an ironic  
chuckle. The more he thought about it, the more he saw how much he and Cosmo really  
had in common, even with their problems. It was what had brought them together in the  
first place, the similarities of their troubles. Both even had deceased parents. Tails laid  
back down, with his hands folded behind his head, wondering if it would be too much to  
ask to just have a perfect life with Cosmo and live happily ever after.

_If only the world worked that way. If only good things happened to good people._

With these thoughts, Tails slowly but unwillingly drifted into sleep. The sleepless night had taken its toll on him.

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_To his horror, Tails' dream had taken him back to the familiar ceremonial chamber of Sevag's temple. He felt as if he were floating through the doorway, past the emerald shrine, and above Sevag's sarcophagus. Tails' heart filled with terror as purple fog began to billow from under its lid. The lid slowly opened, revealing Sevag's mummified corpse inside. Tails screamed. _

Sevag's eyes opened suddenly, startling Tails, and slowly his mouth opened, and he spoke." Her soul belongs to me, Miles. Her soul is mine."

no…No…

"Do you not feel it Miles? Her life energy, it is my life energy. I breathed life into her soul. She is a part of me…"

It's…it's not true…you lie!

"And like it or not, you two are both my servants! From now, to the ends of time!"

Tails let out a long, terrified scream as Sevag cackled and sat up. He pointed at tails, and Tails felt himself being surrounded by Sevag's dark energy. Tails was unable to move. Suddenly, a pit opened up in the ground, and Tails was hurled into it. He shrieked as he saw the lava at the bottom rushing up to meet him,

"To the Lava Reef with you!" Sevag cackled.

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"Tails! Tails wake up!" Cosmo was shaking Tails franticly when he awoke.

Tails opened his eyes, gasping. "Cosmo…I…I must have been dreaming."

"You were screaming in your sleep Tails," said Cosmo with concern, "and you wouldn't wake up."

Tails looked down, still panting, "I'm sorry to worry you…"

Cosmo put her arm around Tails." Your dream…was it the same one you've been having?"

Tails shut his eyes tightly, not eager to revisit the dream nor to tell Cosmo what had happened in it.

_What did he mean…Cosmo is a part of him?_

"It was Sevag…he was in it." Tails said hesitantly, deciding Cosmo deserved some explanation.

"Oh he was…" Cosmo hugged tails tightly, trying to comfort him.

"I'm okay now Cosmo, it was just a dream," said Tails, hugging back. They continued hugging for a time, Cosmo comforting Tails in an almost motherly manner.

"The food is ready, Tails. Why don't you eat something it might make you feel better." Said Cosmo, rocking Tails gently in her arms as he embraced her.

"Okay Cosmo, good idea," said Tails. They got up and walked to Tails' kitchen. Cosmo had baked pancakes. "These look great Cosmo."

Tails and Cosmo sat down together and ate, Tails buttering his pancakes heavily due to the fact that they had no syrup. Cosmo was opposed to eating tree sap, for understandable reasons.

"How do you like them Tails?" Cosmo asked.

"They're great Cosmo." Said Tails with a smile," You were always the best at baking things."

Cosmo blushed, "Well, Amy and Cream were the ones that taught me."

Tails smiled and nodded, and continued eating.

_Her life energy is my life energy…_

The voice rang through Tails' skull. What did it mean?

_You two are both my servants…_

Tails stared off into space, trying to make any sense of it. Just then, an idea struck him. Did Sevag perhaps bring Cosmo to life by giving her some of his own energy? The thought of this troubled Tails deeply, though it seemed to make sense. If it were true…then could Sevag maybe use her and control her should he ever rise again?

"Is something wrong?" Cosmo asked, noticing Tails staring into space.

'No, nothing." Tails replied. He grinned, adding, "Just thinking about how happy I am to have you around, and that you chose to live with me."

Cosmo giggled," You're so sweet Tails. I would miss you too much to live with Amy or Cream."

Tails smiled, glad he had succeeded in covering up the fact that something really was bothering him.

"So, when should we leave?" asked Cosmo.

It took tails a second to remember what she meant, but he answered, "We'll leave right after breakfast, and fly to Cream's house in the X Tornado."

"Oh okay, I can't wait to give Amy her present." Said Cosmo happily.

They were going to Amy's birthday party. The reason it was being held at Cream's was because they had told Sonic it was Cream's party, so he'd be sure to show up for it, and not make any excuses to get out of it. Cosmo had come up with this idea, after listening to Amy worry about Sonic not showing up. Tails didn't think Sonic would do something like that though.

Cosmo and Tails finished up their breakfast and brought their present to the X Tornado. Tails hopped into the cockpit, and helped Cosmo into it. Cosmo got in and sat beside him. (Tails had remodeled the front seat so that Cosmo could sit next to him instead of behind him.) As they took off, he hoped Sonic could help him with his problems. He really needed someone he could talk to, without being afraid of worrying them.

_Sonic will know what to do…he always does. Doesn't he?_


	5. The Ceremonial Battle

**The Ceremonial Battle **

Midiana nervously entered the King's hall, escorted by a group of her servants, Sevag being one of them. She looked on as from the other side of the hall, the Princess Tikal and her servants entered. Staring down at them from their thrones, the King of the Echidnas and her father King Prower of Sandopolis sat side by side. Next to the Echidna king, the high priest of the god Chaos sat, keeper of the Master Emerald. And next to King Prower sat Akves, who not only was high priest of Shadefretep but keeper of the orange Chaos emerald, which for centuries had been the greatest treasure of Sandopolis. Akves was keeping a keen eye on Midiana. Midiana began to sweat.

_How am I going to go through with this?_

Midiana had been under much stress as of late, possibly more even than Sevag had. Her father hadn't stopped drilling it into her brain that this would be the most important battle she would ever fight, that the entire fate of Sandopolis now rested on her shoulders, and that if she were to lose, the Echidna king wouldn't see her as a suitable wife. And that would mean, that the Echidnas would invade and conquer Sandopolis, taking the emerald with them.

So it was understandable that Midiana had very mixed feelings when Sevag told her the plan he and Akves had come up with. It was a far-fetched plan at best, but it just might be her only chance now to live happily with the one she loved. She just hoped her father would react the way Sevag and Akves had planned, when she purposely lost to Tikal.

But Midiana had made up her mind. Her heart belonged to Sevag; she could never love the Echidna king, who was a mean spirited tyrant old enough to be her father. She decided she would throw the match, but so as not to anger her father too badly, she would at least put forth a good effort. As the rest of the servants set up the weapons that were going to be used, Sevag came up to Midiana, to put her armor on.

"Alright Midiana, you can do this.' Said Sevag softly as he put her chest plate on.

Midiana smiled at him, feeling reassured. "I will do this for us my love…"

Sevag patted Midiana on the back, forced to substitute that for an embrace. With that Midiana walked to the center of the king's hall, and stood face to face with Tikal. She was a young, orange echidna, perhaps only a year or two younger than Midiana. The thought sickened her, that she could very well end up being the step mother of someone nearly her own age, if their plan failed. Midiana sneered angrily at Tikal.

"Let the fighting commence!" ordered the Echidna King.

Midiana jumped back as just then Tikal tied to go in for a surprise leg sweep. Midiana made it to the weapons rack, grabbing a long staff with a blade at the end. Tikal grabbed a similar one, and they attacked each other, each continuously blocking the others attack. Then, as Tikal prepared for another attack, Midiana saw an opening and thrust her weapon forward. Tikal moved her head just in time, and the blade left a cut on her cheek. Tikal then swung her weapon parrying Midiana's aside, and she swung down on Midiana's arm, cutting it and causing her to drop her weapon. Sevag's eyes widened as she clutched her bleeding arm in pain. Tikal then charged at Midiana, but at the last second Midiana got down to the ground and took Tikal down with a leg scissors.

Sevag, lost in the moment, gave Midiana a dagger, sliding it on the floor to her. She picked it up and stood up, ready to use it. But Tikal took advantage of Midiana's distraction and jumped on her from behind, wrapping her arms around Midiana's throat in a sleeper hold. As Midiana began to lose oxygen, she grew faint and fell to her knees. She dropped her dagger, and her face began to turn red. Her eyes rolled back.

"Stop this match at once." The Echidna king ordered. Tikal released the sleeper hold, and immediately Sevag rushed to Midiana's side. King Prower looked furious at his daughter's loss.

"You have proven your worth, Princess Tikal." the Echidna King continued," You are now worthy of becoming the new guardian of the master emerald. As for Midiana…"

"But… Midiana just needs more training!" King Prower interrupted," Please give her another chance!"

The Echidna king had a grave expression. " I will give your daughter one more chance. If she cannot defeat my daughter next time they meet, she will be deemed unfit to be my wife. As it is now…she is even unfit to join my harem."

Sevag tried to hold back a growl at hearing that. Other servants then rushed to Midiana's aid. At that moment, Akves leaned over to King Prower, whispering something in his ear. The King nodded in agreement.

"Servants, bring Midiana to the temple of Shadefretep when we return to Sandopolis. There, she shall receive training." King Prower announced. Akves looked down at Sevag, making eye contact with him. The first step of their plan was now complete.


	6. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Cream was peacefully picking flowers outside of her house, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Tails and Cosmo.

"This is going to be so exciting Cheese," said Cream happily to her pet Chao, "we haven't seen Tails or Cosmo in a long time."

"Chao chao." Cheese replied.

"And Amy will just love these fresh flowers we're picking for her." Cream added, "This is going to be her best birthday ever!"

"Chao, chao-chao!" said Cheese, pointing toward the wilderness beyond the meadow her house was built on.

"You're right Cheese! The prettiest wild flowers grow over there! Let's go!" Cream said happily. She picked up her basket and ran across the meadow. As she reached its edge, she brushed aside leaves, branches and bushes making her way through the foliage, until she came to a clearing. It was filled with colorful flowers.

"We're here Cheese!" said Cream. She happily began picking flowers and gathering them into her basket. That is, until she noticed a dark shadow creeping up behind her.

"What brings you here, little morsel?" a creepy voice asked.

Cream gasped and turned around. A wolf, dressed in a black cloak, stared down at her hungrily. He grinned, showing off his razor sharp teeth and licked his lips. Cream shrieked and ran away, into the woods.

"Someone help me!" she screamed, "There's a wolf!"

She ran until she collided with something, and it knocked her back. She looked up, and there were two familiar figures standing in front of her, with their backs turned. She thought she recognized them.

"Sonic? Tails?" asked Cream. There was what looked to be the outline of a hedgehog, and what looked like a fox, both dressed in cloaks, their bodies obscured by the shadows of the canopy. First the hedgehog turned around. He took off his hood, and Cream gasped.

"Sh-Shadow!" Cream shrieked. The black hedgehog chuckled.

"Well, it seems like one of Sonic's little friends has found us." Said Shadow with a smirk. "What do you think we should do?"

The being resembling a fox turned around, looking down at Cream. "Perhaps this little one can be of use to us. Shadow, grab her."

No! Someone help please!" Cream shrieked, as Shadow grabbed her, and the wolf returned to stuff her in a burlap sack. Cheese caught up with them and tried to punch the fox-like being, only to be swatted away by one of his twin tails. Cream was shocked when she saw them. Cheese was knocked into a tree.

"What should we do with that infernal Chao?" the wolf growled.

"Let it go, Akves." Said the fox, "it is no threat to us. Tails and Cosmo are our main concern."

The fox like being turned around, his cloak flowing and flapping behind him. Shadow and the wolf followed, carrying a struggling Cream with them.

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The X Tornado made its landing in front of Cream's house. The cockpit opened, and Tails hopped out, helping Cosmo down as well. They looked back, and saw Amy running up to greet them.

"Tails! Cosmo! You're here!" She said happily, hugging Tails and Cosmo both.

"Hi Amy, happy birthday." Said Tails with a smile.

"You two are the first ones here." Said Amy.

"Oh? Well where's Cream?" asked Cosmo.

"Oh she's out getting my present." Said Amy, " It will probably be flowers, but oh well. I like flowers."

Tails opened the cargo of the X Tornado. "We've already got your present Amy. Here you go!"

Amy took the present happily. "I'll open it when everyone is here."

Then Tails remembered that he needed to talk to Sonic. "Hey Amy, is Sonic coming?"

"I sure hope so." Said Amy, " But he wouldn't miss _Cream's_ 'birthday'…"

"I'm sure he wouldn't miss yours either, Amy." Said Tails. " He's not that insensitive."

"Well…he'll be here. Come on you two, Vanilla will get you something to eat." Said Amy, trying to change the subject.

Suddenly, a blue streak sped by; blowing a jet of air that caused Amy and Cosmo to have to hold their skirts down. As the dust settled, Sonic stood in front of them, holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Hey guys! Am I late?" Sonic asked.

"No Sonic, you're right on time." Said Tails with a smile.

"Well where's Cream? I got her a birthday present." Said Sonic, looking around. "I know how much she loves flowers."

Amy smirked. "Flowers? For me? Oh you shouldn't have Sonic!"

" For you? But these are for-" Sonic was cut off as Amy ran up and hugged him.

"I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present.!" Said Amy. She took the flowers from Sonic. "I'll put them in a vase right away."

Amy went into Cream's house, leaving Sonic standing there stunned. Cosmo giggled.

"It's not really Cream's birthday," said Cosmo, "it's Amy's!"

"What? But…hey! You two tricked me!" Sonic yelled.

"Sorry Sonic." Said Tails, laughing. "But too late, you're here now!"

Sonic looked irritated. He folded his arms and tapped his foot.

"Come on Sonic, it's not that bad is it? Don't be angry with us." Said Cosmo.

"Well alright." Sonic sighed, "it's just going to be irritating having her hanging all over me."

Tails and Cosmo looked at each other and giggled. But just then, they noticed an injured Chao flying toward them.

"Huh? What's wrong with that Chao? It seems hurt." Said Tails with concern.

Cosmo gasped. "It's Cheese!' She took the Chao in her arms as sonic and Tails gathered around.

"That's Cream's pet right? I sure hope Cream's not in any trouble!" said Sonic.

The Chao tried desperately to tell them what happened, but only Cream could ever understand what he was saying. Instead, Cheese pointed in the direction where Cream had been kidnapped.

"I think he's telling us where she is." Said Tails. Just then Amy came out.

"What's going on you guys?" she asked.

"Cream is in danger!" Cosmo exclaimed.

"Let's go in the direction Cheese is pointing to." Sonic suggested. So with Cosmo holding Cheese who was guiding them, they made their way across the meadow and into the woods.

"You don't think she fell and hurt herself?" asked Sonic.

"I hope not. But what if she's been kidnapped?" asked Amy, worried. They came to the wild flower clearing. Just then Amy spotted something. "Hey you guys, it's Cream's basket!"

Sonic ran up and examined the basket. "It looks like she left in a hurry…"

They all looked around for signs of Cream. After searching for some time, Sonic had an idea.

"Hey Amy, were the Chaotix invited to your party?" Sonic asked.

"Well, yes they were. Why?" Amy replied.

"So they can find Cream right?" said Tails. "That's good thinking Sonic."

"Thanks little bro. Hey, do us a favor and go back to the house and get them, if they're here yet." Said Sonic.

"I'll come too." Said Cosmo. Amy grinned widely at this, since she'd get to be left alone with Sonic. Tails put his arms around Cosmo as she held Cheese, and lifted her up, flying back to the house.

"I sure hope Cream is okay Tails…" said Cosmo, worried.

"I'm sure she is Cosmo…" said Tails reassuringly. The truth was, Tails was getting a very bad feeling about this. His instincts were telling him something very terrible was about to happen…

Suddenly Tails felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. He yelled in pain, and accidentally let go of Cosmo

"Tails! No!" Cosmo shrieked. They were both falling, tumbling to the ground below. They landed hard in the meadow just outside of Cream's house. Tails felt the wet grass brushing against his face, and when he looked over he saw Cosmo, who was stunned but seemingly okay.

"So, we meet again, fox boy." Said a familiar, female voice. Tails looked up, and standing over him was Rouge.

Tails tried to sit up." Wh-why…did you hit me?"

"Because you have something that I want." Said Rouge. She bent down, and picked Cosmo up by her clothing. Tails growled and quickly got to his feet.

"Leave Cosmo alone!" Tails yelled.

"I'm afraid there is nothing you can do." Said a voice from behind. Tails turned around, and to his horror he saw Shadow dressed in a hooded black cloak. Standing next to him was a taller figure, looking like a wolf.

"Shadow! But, but I thought you were…"

"Dead?" Shadow chuckled, and took off his hood. A long, jagged scar ran down the left side of his face. 'Your mother was not able to finish the job it seems. Not that she could have."

"Of course she could have!" Akves the wolf snapped. But he quickly regained his composure, and cleared his throat as Shadow glared at him for a moment. "Give it up Miles. Cosmo belongs to us now, and soon, so shall you!"

"Tails…" Cosmo had regained consciousness, and struggled with Rouge." Tails, stop them! Help!"

Tails was about to charge at Rouge when a bolt of energy shot down from above at Cosmo. Her eyes widened, and she dropped Cheese. She seemed frozen, and as Rouge let go she began to float in the air.

"Cosmo! No!" Tails screamed.

Suddenly Tails heard cackling, and to his horror, another cloaked figure descended from the sky. But, he seemed to be flying using two twin tails. Tails was awestruck.

"So, Miles…we finally meet. The one who sealed my parents away, I presume." He said, in a voice that almost sounded like Tails, but lower.

"Wh-who are you…?" asked Tails, his eyes wide.

The figure chuckled. "You and I, Miles, we have a lot in common. More than you might think." He turned toward Cosmo.

"Let Cosmo go!" Tails yelled. The figure lifted his hands, and Tails was knocked back by his energy. He then pointed a Chaos Emerald at Cosmo, and she disappeared.

"She is ours, just as you will be." The figure declared. "Her life energy is one with our master. And you, you are doomed to forever be his servant. Once the Ceremony of Resurrection was complete, your fates were sealed."

The figure turned to face Tails, and slowly took off his hood. Tails' eyes widened. He looked almost like a fox, and not only that but he had two foxtails. But something was different. His snout was longer than a foxes, and his ears pointier and longer. His eyes were a glowing yellow, and his fur as black as the night, except at the tips of his tail and the fur around his muzzle, which were white. It was as it…as if he were half jackal!

"My name is Shade. Your mother, is my mother." The figure said. "And my father…is Sevag."

'No…no it can't be…" Tails uttered.

"If you want your lover back, meet us in the Hidden Palace, beyond the Lava Reef. But be prepared…to face the wrath of Sevag the Jackal reborn! Farewell, little brother!"

With that, Akves, Rouge and Shadow placed their hands on Shade's shoulders, and he held out his Chaos Emerald. "Chaos…control!" They shouted together, and they vanished.

Tails fell to his knees and gave out a loud howl. Again, he had failed Cosmo. What could he do now, against enemies like them? Tails shut his eyes and collapsed face down in the grass and passed out, overcome with fear and grief.


	7. The Birth of Chaos

**The Birth of Chaos**

Sevag paced back and forth nervously outside of Akves' chambers. This was it. Akves and Sevag were going to perform a birthing ritual on Midiana. By utilizing the powers of chaos and calling on the help of the god Shadefretep, Midiana's child would be born. Though it was a very premature birth (by seven months at least), if the spell was done correctly the child would be as healthy and normal as any other fox/jackal hybrid could be.

"Hello…are you Sevag?" came a female voice from behind. Sevag turned and to his astonishment there stood the echidna princess Tikal.

"What are you doing here!" exclaimed Sevag.

"After the fight, Midiana and Akves told me everything…" said Tikal," you know, I only fought her because my father made me. I personally hate fighting…there are so many better ways to solve problems."

"Well, you sure are good at fighting for someone who despises it." Sevag muttered.

"I knew she wasn't fighting back to her fullest, so I went easy on her, putting her in a sleeper hold to end the fight quickly." Said Tikal," When I asked her why after the fight, she and Akves told me."

"So you know about our secret love do you?" asked Sevag," I sure hope Akves knew what he was doing when he decided to trust an echidna."

"Well…I want you to know that I'm as against Midiana marrying my father as you are. For different reasons of course…" Tikal explained.

"Well you won't have to worry about that because I won't let that happen." Said Sevag firmly. Tikal smiled, and handed him a box. Suspicious, Sevag opened it.

_It was a chaos emerald!_

"She told me she had to do a birthing ritual so your love wouldn't be discovered," said Tikal, "I'm going to let her borrow this for the ritual. Having more chaos power will help make sure the baby is born healthy. I could get in a lot of trouble for giving you this…it belongs to the echidna race and I am its guardian. Please return it to me when you are done with it."

With that, she turned and quickly made her way out of the temple, leaving Sevag alone with the emerald, standing frozen.

"My…she could get in a lot of trouble for giving me this. Perhaps this Tikal is not as unpleasant as most echidnas." He gathered his thoughts and walked into Akves' chambers. There he saw Midiana, laying unconscious upon a stone altar surrounded by Akves' priests. The room was lit only by torches, and before the altar stood a statue of Shadefretep, the two fox-tailed jackal god.

"Akves, I have another Chaos Emerald." Said Sevag.

"Ah, so you do. I suppose the princess arrived then. It will be most useful in our ritual." Said Akves, taking the emerald. He wore a long, flowing black robe and stood before the altar. He lifted his hand as a signal for the ritual to begin, and rehearsed an ancient spell. His priest sat on their knees, rocking back and forth in unison and chanting along with him.

_May Midiana be as Isis the mother. May her offspring be as Horus the child. May they both be smiled upon by Shadefretep._

"Sevag, the father, join me in this chant…" commanded Akves, handing Sevag an emerald. Akves and Sevag held their emeralds above Midiana's body, chanting.

_Shadefretep, lend us your power. May the power of Chaos compel this child. May this child be born by the power of Chaos. _

Soon, the emeralds began to glow, and energy shot from them down at Midiana's body.

"Yes…its working!" said Akves, cackling.

The energy grew brighter and more powerful. As the power kept growing, Sevag could see a worried expression on Akves' face.

"Akves? What's wrong?" asked Sevag.

"I…I don't know…there's too much energy!" Akves exclaimed.

Sparks began shooting from the emeralds.

"What does that mean!" yelled Sevag.

"Too much energy…could be bad…but it won't stop!" Akves exclaimed. "If we give the child too much energy there's no telling what will happen!"

Sevag tried to let go of his emerald, but he couldn't. He stared in terror as Midiana's body was surrounded by an aura, and he realized that his and Akves' bodies were becoming surrounded by this aura as well. Just as he began to scream, the entire altar exploded, sending Sevag, Akves and his priests flying in all directions straight into the walls of the room. As Sevag slowly sat up, he saw in the smoke the face of Shadefretep himself. The face let out a terrifying roar, and then began to get smaller as if a vacuum in the center of the chamber were sucking it down. And at the center of the room, the spot where the smoke had gone, was something that shocked both Sevag and Akves.

It was the infant, standing over his mother on two legs. It looked something like a fox, but with a pointed snout and ears that stood tall on his head. But there was something else…something unexpected. Behind the child swayed two twin foxtails. It was as if he were the very embodiment of Shadefretep himself. 

"S-shade…shadefretep…"Akves uttered.

"Shade," the infant repeated. "Shade"

Akves slowly got to his feet, his knees trembling, and slowly walked toward the infant. The being pointed his finger at Akves and sent him not just into the wall but through it. Sevag was awestruck.

_Who is this? This can't really be…my son!_

Then the child leaped into the air, and using its two tails hovered above the ground. The infant flew through the hole in the wall. Instinctively Sevag chased after him, but it was too late. He was now high in the sky, flying out of sight. Sevag collapsed to his knees, next to the rubble that Akves' mangled body lied on.


	8. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Tails awoke lying on Cream's couch. He was surrounded by his friends; Sonic, Amy, and the Chaotix.

"Hey, he's waking up!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Oh Tails, what happened?" Amy asked franticly," Where's Cosmo?!"

A grim expression crept across Tails' face.

"You ought to have given him time before questioning him, Amy." informed Espio, "He just came out of a trauma-induced fainting spell you know."

Amy took a step backwards sheepishly.

"But I wanna know too!! I wanna know too!" Charmy complained.

"Don't you people have an ounce of patience?" Espio asked angrily.

Sonic wanted to blurt out no but stopped himself. Tails could tell he was wearing his "patience are for hospitals" expression. He gave a deep mournful sigh, collecting his thoughts and remembering what had happened.

_She is ours…just as you will be…_

"Cosmo was kidnapped…"said Tails, fighting back tears as the scene played in his head, "I failed her…failed her again!!"

He wrapped his tails around his body and buried his face into them, crying.

"But who would do something like that?" asked Amy sympathetically, as she sat down besides Tails and put her arms around him to comfort him.

"I'll bet it was Eggman wasn't it?" said Sonic.

_Your mother is my mother…and my father is Sevag…_

"N-no…if only…if only it were just him…" Tails could hardly speak between the sobs.

Just then Cream's mother Vanilla entered the room, carrying a tray with tea.

"Oh, he's awake?" she asked gingerly as she placed the tea on the coffee table. She was very concerned with the whereabouts of her daughter.

"Don't worry Ma'am," said Vector reassuringly. It had long been apparent that Vector had a bit of a crush on Vanilla, apparent to everyone but Vanilla that is." We were just about to get that information out of Tails! Come on, speak up kid!"

The pain Tails felt was too much to bear.

_I promised you Cosmo…that I'd never let you down again…_

"Don't you know its bad educate to question someone when they're like this? Especially when they're not even a suspect!" yelled Espio.

"Cool it you guys. Just give Tails some time." Said Sonic.

"Th-thanks Sonic…"said Tails tearfully. He whipped his eyes with one of his puffy tails and sniffed. "It wasn't Eggman…no…it was someone worse…"

"Someone worse? How so?" asked Sonic.

"His name is Shade…and…and…" Tails let a couple tears roll down his cheeks, soaking into his fur, "…he's m-my brother…"

"Brother!?" exclaimed everyone in unison.

"Well half brother…his father…his father is Sevag…" Tails finished.

"Sevag? As in Sevag the Jackal?!" asked Amy fearfully.

"Oh no! I thought we got rid of him!" Sonic exclaimed.

"He's not alone…Shadow and Rouge were with him…" said tails sadly.

"Why those rotten…" Amy grumbled angrily.

"I wonder how much he's paying Rouge!" said Sonic angrily, crossing his arms," She wouldn't join him unless there's something in it for her!"

"And there was another…he was a wolf…" added Tails." They said something about bringing Sevag back…"

"But there's no way that I know of to bring that dark entity back from where he was sent." Said Espio.

Tails looked grim, " He said something about using Cosmo's life energy…"

"Life energy?" repeated Espio, his eyes widening.

"Sevag brought her to life…so she carries his life energy." Said Tails flatly, repeating what he learned from his dream earlier, from Sevag himself.

Espio crossed his arms, "Now I think I know what Shade is up to. He's going to use chaos magic to bring him back.

Suddenly Tails got a look of determination on his face. Everyone in the room was shocked as Tails' aura flared up. "There's no time to waste! I won't let them bring Sevag back! I won't let them hurt Cosmo!!"

"Tails!" Sonic exclaimed, "Y-your aura! Is there a chaos Emerald around??"

Tails growled and breathed heavily, " Its something I meant to ask you about…"

The aura surrounding Tails began to fade as he calmed himself down.

"Wow, that was cool! Do it again!" cheered Charmy.

"Quiet Charmy." Said Espio, trying to concentrate. "That energy, Tails…it was dark. Dark and chaotic. Tell me, how long has this been going on?"

Tails sighed. "It seems like ever since I brought Cosmo back, when I get upset, the energy just comes. I used to only be able to do it holding a Chaos emerald, but now, it just happens by itself. I can't control it."

"Tails, do you realize not even I can do that?" said Sonic, amazed. "I mean, I always need an emerald or a power ring…but you…"

"Yeah well, its not like I asked for this." Said Tails.

"Well what do you think caused it, Espio?" asked Vector. "You're our energy expert here."

"I think that Tails' problem stems from the ritual Tails put him through to bring Cosmo back." Said Espio, "Tails told us that Sevag possessed him using ancient magic, and the energy of the Chaos Emeralds consumed his body, causing him to transform into his frightening nine-tailed form. It wouldn't surprise me if something as powerful and potentially deadly as that had some permanent effect on him."

"So I'm stuck this way?" Tails asked.

"Don't think of it as a completely bad thing, Tails." Said Espio, "If you could somehow learn to control it, you might stand a chance against Shade. From what I'm feeling, Shade must have this same power, only he probably controls it."

A new look of determination shown on Tails' face. He stood up.

"Shade said to meet him in the Hidden Palace, beyond the Lava Reef on Angel island." Said tails, "I am going to go save Cosmo and Cream. Shade cannot stop me!"

"Hold on Tails, we need some sort of plan." Said Sonic.

"Well, if Shade is going to perform the type of ritual magic I think he is, he's going to need the Chaos emeralds." Said Espio, "I'm sure his next move will be to search for the emeralds, and perhaps the master emerald.. We need to warn Knuckles somehow!"

"Oh! Oh! I wanna help!" exclaimed Charmy.

"I'm going to take the X Tornado and get the emeralds before Shade does. He already has one. Whoever wants to come with me can." Said Tails," I can take three people."

"I'm with you little bro." Said Sonic.

"If Sonic is coming so am I! Its my birthday after all!" Amy shouted happily. Sonic gave a look of fear as Amy said this.

"I think we'll go on our own." Said Vector, "The Chaotix detective Agency is on it! We'll consentrate on bringing Cream back safe and sound."

"Aw but I wanna go with Tails! I wanna see him glow in the dark again!" Charmy whined.

"We'll keep in close contact, and we'll meet up with you on Angel island to give you any emeralds we find." Said Espio.

"That's good, we'll need the extra seat anyway for Knuckles." Said Sonic.

Tails smiled and nodded. On this journey, he would not be alone.

To control the shades of darkness… he was going to need all the help he could get.

_Authors note: My apologies for taking so long to update. I've had to focus too much on school._


	9. Chapter 5

_Note: Just so you know flash back chapters will resume later in the story, it's just that I only have so many and this is going to be a long story._

Slowly, Cosmo opened her eyes, regaining consciousness. Or at least, she thought she had opened them. She blinked, seeing nothing but blackness before her. As she groaned and sat up, she felt the cold hard ground beneath her, feeling like solid stone. She began panting heavily, as the fear of being lost in the pitch-blackness over came her. She staggered to her feet, shivering. She reached her hands out in front of her, feeling for some sort of wall. She couldn't even see her own hands in front of her it was so dark.

"Where am I?" Cosmo whimpered, "Someone please help! Tails!"

It was then that she heard a soft, sad whimper. She turned, following its sound. She then stumbled, nearly tripping over something. She bent down to feel what she had tripped on, and her fingertips came in contact with something warm and furry.

"Who are you? Take me out of this place!" a high voice cried.

"Cream!" Cosmo exclaimed. She could feel Cream's dress and her long floppy ears. "Its me Cosmo!"

Cream threw her arms around Cosmo, crying. Cosmo held her, whispering into her ear that everything would be okay. It was then that a blinding light suddenly poured into the room, as a door opened. They gasped and saw two silhouettes.

"It's the meanies!!" Cream shrieked.

Suddenly Cosmo's memories rushed back; she remembered being captured by Rouge, a wolf, and-

"Quit your sniveling!" barked a gruff voice. Akves walked into the dungeon, followed by Rouge.

"That's no way to speak to a guest." Chuckled Rouge.

"What do you want from us?!" Cosmo cried.

Akves grinned." Oh you'll find out. All in good time."

Akves handed them two plates, with a loaf of bread and a cup of water on each.

"Enjoy your meals girls." Said Rouge. " Sorry we can't give you something a bit more high class."

Cream poked sadly at her bread for a moment and nibbled a piece. "This bread is too hard!"

"Deal with it!" snapped Akves. "If you're nice, maybe I'll throw a couple of carrots in there next time."

Cream tried chewing on the hard bread. "I wanna go home…"

Cosmo stood up. "You don't need Cream for your goals, do you? I implore you, send her back. Just take me…"

Rouge turned to Akves, "Well she has a point. We don't really need Cream do we?"

"Well…we caught her because she could have warned Sonic and the others before we had the chance to kidnap Cosmo." Akves replied, "Now she'll just serve as further bait to bring Miles to us. And besides, I kind of like having a little bunny around…she makes me so hungry…"

Cream gasped and dropped her head, and let out a loud, frightened shriek, as Akves laughed maniacally, enjoying her fear.

"Oh wolves…" Rouge crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.

Cosmo held Cream tight, trying to shelter her. "You wouldn't dare eat her! Just wait until Tails and sonic come to rescue us!"

"Shut up, you ugly weed! You're lucky I'm not a vegetarian!" Akves snapped.

"Come on, Akves, we've done our job. Let's get out of here." Said Rouge. They turned and went out the door, Akves turning around one last time to give Cream a hungry look, making her shriek again as they shut the door.

You seem to be having fun with this." Said Rouge as she and Akves made their way down a large corridor, its walls made of a shiny crystal. "Didn't you used to be some sort of priest? What exactly made you so-"

"Well I never was the same after Shade's chaotic birth." Said Akves, cutting her off. " I spent the next few months locked up in a Sandopolitan insane asylum, until my priests busted me out and I escaped."

"Right…" rouge began putting some distance between her and Akves nervously." The things I do for treasure…"

"I assure you, shade will not disappoint you." said Akves, as they walked through a large doorway.

Inside there was a large crystal chamber, formerly what used to be the throne room of the Hidden Palace. There was a throne at the far end, a chaos emerald shrine at the center, and a large crystal pipe organ just to the left of the throne. Sitting at the pipe organ with his long black cloak flowing behind him sat Shade, playing a dark, forlorn tune.

"Shade, we have done your bidding." Announced Akves.

Shade stopped playing. "Good. Now, to give you your next mission."

Rouge spoke up. "Excuse me, Shade, but mind if I ask what kind of mission you sent Shadow on?"

"I sent him to collect some emeralds from an old friend of his…" said Shade, somewhat impatiently. "Now, it has nothing to do with you. You, Rouge, are going to bring me the Master Emerald."

Rouge chuckled, "No prob. It will be nice to see Knucky again."

"Akves will be attending as well. After you return with the Master Emerald, and after Shadow gets back, I will have the three of you on an even bigger mission."

Akves smirked, as if he knew exactly what Shade meant. But Rouge didn't have a clue.

"What bigger mission? This wasn't mentioned in our agreement!" Rouge exclaimed.

"Oh, I think you will find it quite to your liking." Said Shade, " I want you to hunt for the greatest undiscovered treasure on Angel island.

Rouge's ears perked up. " I'm listening…"

"I want you to find the Master Emerald first." Said Shade, "Then I'll tell you what to do next."

"Darn…you sure know how to keep a girl in suspense." Said Rouge with a smirk. "Oh alright, lets go pay Knucky a little visit."

Rouge and Akves bowed and turned, walking out the door. Shade turned around, closing his eyes as he poured his emotions into his music on the pipe organ.


	10. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Tails piloted the X Tornado over the open ocean, making his way toward Angel Island. Sonic and Amy sat in the back seats together, much to Sonic's dismay. She clung to him for the whole trip, as if for dear life.

"So Tails, now that we have time would you mind telling me more about these darkness fits you've been having?" asked Sonic, both out of curiosity and to get his mind off Any who was squeezing the air out of his lungs.

"Well, I'm not so sure about them…"said Tails hesitantly.

"What usually triggers them? Do you know?" asked Sonic.

Tails sighed, replying "It's usually after a really bad nightmare, or if I lose my temper. Both have been happening a lot more lately. And Cosmo…she's been blaming herself for them."

"Blaming herself? But none of this is her fault." Said Sonic.

"She seems to think so." Said Tails sadly, "She feels like it's her fault I've become so emotionally unstable…"

"Poor Cosmo…she always did feel like everything was her fault." Said Amy.

"Well what are these nightmares usually about?" Sonic asked, "Are you still getting those nightmares about when Cosmo sacrificed herself?"

"No, not really." Tails replied, "They…they're usually about my mother now…and Sevag."

"Oh…I'm sorry little buddy." Said Sonic with sympathy.

"But none of it is Cosmo's fault." said Tails, raising his voice a bit, "It was no ones fault. Mother sacrificed herself so that me and Cosmo could be happy. If anyone is at fault…it's me."

"You? How could you say that Tails?" asked Amy as she clung to Sonic.

"Because…I should be happy. I have everything I wanted…everything I was struggling for." Said Tails sadly, "It's unfair to Cosmo for me to carry on like this, making her feel like she's at fault…that she isn't enough to make me happy, and that I'd be better off if we hadn't met…"

Tails slammed his fist on the dashboard, shuddering and fighting back tears.

"But Tails, she was your mother." Said Sonic, putting his hand on Tails' shoulder. "You can't help it. It would be unnatural if you weren't upset."

"Sonic is right, Tails. Don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure you and Cosmo can get through this." Said Amy encouragingly.

Tails said nothing, and continued to pilot the plane, though they could still hear the sound of him fighting back tears. Sonic stared into Tails' face through the reflection in the windshield. Sonic marveled at how fast Tails seemed to be growing up. He had endured more trauma in his short life than any child should ever have to endure. Emotionally, he was aged well beyond his years. In just a few short years, Sonic had watched him grow from a helpless two-tailed fox cub he had found orphaned in the woods, to a strong, courageous young fox.

It was almost enough to make Sonic forget the discomfort of having the air squeezed out of him by Amy.

"Well…thanks for the encouragement you guys." Said Tails, after he regained his composure a bit, " I think we should be reaching Angel Island soon. I'm picking up the Master Emerald's signal."

"Okay then, let's do it to it!" said Sonic.

"I love when you say things like that…"said Amy provocatively, making Sonic sweat. Tails couldn't help but crack a smile at this.

It was then that they saw the majestic view of the floating isle emerging from the clouds, as it drifted ever forward on its eternal voyage around planet Mobius. The X Tornado flew on toward the island, finally passing over its shores and above the dense jungles around its rim.

"The Master Emerald shrine should be in those hills up that way." Said Sonic.

Tails nodded and steered the plane toward the mountainous regions of the island. It took some time to reach it because the island was so huge and vast. But finally, they flew over the master emerald shrine, and could see Knuckles in front of it, looking bored. Tails landed the plane, and it came to a stop in front of Knuckles, who jumped up startled.

"Hey, what brings you here?" Knuckles questioned as Tails opened the glass dome and they stepped out.

"Knuckles, we need the Master Emerald quick!" Tails exclaimed.

"Well hello to you too!" answered Knuckles, looking annoyed, "What do you guys need it for?"

"We need to take it before someone else does. I'll explain in the plane, just get in!" Sonic answered.

Knuckles sighed, "There had better be a good reason for this…"

It was just as Knuckles turned around toward the emerald that suddenly a grappling hook shot out, wrapping itself around the emerald.

"Hey! Who's there?!" Knuckles yelled.

"It's Rouge!!" Amy shrieked, pointing toward the bushes. Rouge was dressed in a black ninja outfit, but her gem-like eyes were clearly visible. She jumped from the bushes.

"Long time no see, Knucky." Said Rouge with a cackle, as she reeled the emerald in like a huge fish on a hook.

"Rouge, what are you doing?" Knuckles shouted.

"Oh, just a small job. A means to an end." She laughed, "I'm sure Sevag will gladly give it back to you when he's done being resurrected."

"What? Rouge you wouldn't!!" said Knuckles with surprise. "I trusted you!!"

"I won't let you take it!" Tails screamed, " Tell me what you've done with Cosmo and Cream or you'll be sorry!"

"Oh, they're being well taken care of…" said a dark voice, as Akves stepped out from the shadows.

"Who's he?" Sonic asked.

"It's him…the one who was with Shade." Said Tails.

"N-no…it's you! I know who you are! The evil priest of Shade!" Knuckles exclaimed, "So it is true…you're planning on bringing Sevag back!"

"Well well, look who beat us here." Said Akves smugly, 'Little Miles Prower and his gang. Ha! And they have the Master Emerald protector with them I see."

"I won't let either of you take the emerald!" shouted Knuckles, and he glided toward them with a punch. Rouge jumped up just in time and hovered above Knuckles.

"Temper temper, Knucky…" said Rouge with a grin, "Are all red heads this temperamental?"

"Echidnas, they're all the same." Said Akves with disgust. "Ninety-eight percent temper, two percent mental."

Knuckles punched Akves square in the face sending him howling back into a tree. He turned and went after the Master Emerald. Rouge flew down at Knuckles with a kick, but was intercepted by Tails who kicked her away. As Rouge flew back Sonic zoomed by and took the emerald.

"It's mine now, slow-mo!" Sonic taunted.

Akves growled and got to his feet. In a blind rage he charged at Tails, pouncing on him and snarling.

"You're mine, little boy!" Akves growled, opening his mouth showing his razor sharp teeth. But before Sonic or knuckles could do anything, tails was suddenly surrounded by his aura. It flared up suddenly, and Akves was knocked away. Akves got to his feet. Looking at Tails in amazement.

"That's…Chaos energy? Impossible…"uttered Akves.

Just then Rouge flew down at Sonic to grab the emerald while he was distracted.

"Not so fast!" yelled Amy, who jumped and hit Rouge in the face with her hammer, knocking her to the ground in an unconscious heap.

"Thanks Amy! Tails, Knuckles, let's get out of here!" Sonic shouted, quickly tossing the emerald into the X Tornado's cargo hold.

"Get back here!" Akves growled. He charged hungrily at Tails once again, as Tails had been stunned by his surge of energy, but was struck in the side of the skull by Knuckles, and was sent flying into the bushes. Knuckles took Tails by the hand and ran toward the X Tornado. Tails jumped into the pilot's seat as everyone got into the plane. The plane started and began rolling forward. As it began to take off Akves darted from the bushes, roaring and chasing after it. But it was too late, it had driven over a cliff side and was flying away.

"Curse you!!" Akves roared, as he let out a long, angry howl.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

In a dark, crystalline room, a black figure stood watching the events unfold, the images being shown through a crystal mirror. His two tails slapped the ground angrily, leaving a large crack.

"Fools! You had better claim that emerald, if you know what is good for you…" said Shade bitterly, "We cannot be defeated by that insolent worm of a brother…who sealed both my parents away. Mirror off!"

Shade turned angrily, his cloak fluttering loudly behind him as the image on the mirror disappeared, and it became like a normal mirror. It seemed Miles would be the main obstacle along side that blasted doctor, particularly with his newfound chaos energy. Shade stroked his muzzle, the only white part on his body besides the fur on his chest and at the tip of each tail.

_If Miles were to learn to control it, he could even become a threat to me…_

"Hmm…well, he is my brother after all…"said Shade, as he exited the room, contemplating the next phase of his plan as he made his way back to the throne room, to once again play on the pipe organ.

_Now then…what to do with Cosmo…_


	11. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Cosmo began to stir, and she awoke. She was surprised to find herself lying in a fancy bed. The room she was in was a luxurious contrast to the dark dungeon she had been in when she had fallen asleep. The walls were shiny sheets of smoked crystal, there were many dressers, fancy desks and lamps, and at the far end of the room stood a tall mirror. She looked down at her body and realized someone had dressed her in an expensive nightgown. She looked around for Cream, but didn't see any sign of her.

"Cream? Where are you?" shouted Cosmo, becoming very uneasy and scared. There was silence.

"Do not be afraid, Cosmo." came a voice from somewhere in the room. For a moment Cosmo thought it was Tails, because it sounded like him. But there was some thing different.

"Who's there?" asked Cosmo, trembling.

"Look into the mirror…and you shall see for yourself." Said the voice.

She suddenly noticed what looked like blue smog filling the mirror. Slowly she got up, her bare feet touching the cold crystal floor. She walked up to the mirror cautiously. As she got closer, she was startled to feel a breeze blow through her hair. And then, the figure of Shade emerged from the fog in the mirror.

"You! Y-you're the one who kidnapped Cream and I!" Cosmo exclaimed.

Shade closed his eyes and chuckled at her reaction. "I trust you're happy with your new accommodations…I know that old dungeon is unworthy of a beautiful creature such as yourself. Please forgive me. I've moved you to the Queen's chamber instead."

"What have you done with Cream?" Cosmo demanded.

"Oh, she is quite safe…quite safe indeed. You needn't worry about her well being." Shade answered.

Cosmo was silent, until she asked, "What are you going to do with me?"

"A good question, dear Cosmo." Shade answered. "You see, I still have yet to figure that out. I'm keeping you here for a reason of course. I need your help. If you can only help me, I'll let you and Cream be on your way."

Something about the way Shade spoke struck Cosmo in a strange way. Perhaps it was because the figure she saw before her reminded her so much of Tails. But the way Shade spoke to her had a very hypnotic, seductive effect. She tried to fight it.

"Why should I help you?" Cosmo asked.

"Please Cosmo, only you can help me. You, who was given back the gift of life by my father. You, who carries his very energy in you. Surely you must know what its like to lose a parent…" Shade spoke in a way that almost made Cosmo pity him.

Shade looked down, showing emotion for the first time in front of Cosmo. His body language was really beginning to remind her of Tails. And the fact of the matter was that Cosmo knew all too well what it was like to lose a parent. Cosmo's feelings were at war with her better judgment.

"I do know…what that's like." Cosmo said at last.

"Yes…I know that you know. Earthia, was it?"

Cosmo gasped at the mention of her mother's name. "How did you know?"

"Oh I know all about you Cosmo…from what my mirror has shown me." Said Shade, " I know all about the fate that befell your race. It's quite a pity really…"

Thinking about how the metarex destroyed her race was almost too much to bear on top of everything she was already worried about. "Yes…it is…"

"So you and I can relate somewhat. Now tell me, is it true that since being brought back from the dead, you have felt a bit of guilt over something or other? Something that has been making Miles, or Tails as you choose to call him, upset?"

Cosmo closed her eyes and stared down at her feet. This strange person really did know everything about her. " Yes…what does that matter?"

"It matters because if you help me, you won't have to feel guilty anymore." Shade replied.

"You mean if I help you bring Sevag back?" asked Cosmo skeptically.

"Heh, well yes. But you don't think I only plan on bringing one of my parents back do you?" Shade asked slyly.

Cosmo's eyes widened a bit. So he was bringing his mother back too…Tails' mother. Cosmo couldn't help but feel responsible for Tails losing his mother. She always felt that if she and Tails had never met, right now he would be happily reunited with his mother. As depressing a thought as it was, she had always felt that Tails would be better off without her. But now, it could be a chance to set things right; a chance to finally make Tails happy. If she brought Tails his mother, she could finally make up for everything Tails had sacrificed for her.

"What do I have to do?" Cosmo finally asked.

"So, made up your mind have you?" said Shade, "You'll all be better off for it, trust me. What better way to make up for all you've put Miles through? We'll all be one big, happy family heh heh."

"What do I have to do?" Cosmo repeated irritably.

"Yes…well that I'm not sure of yet. " Shade replied. " I must examine you further. I haven't yet discovered the energy center in your body, or how to bring it out."

"You've been examining me?" Cosmo asked, feeling somewhat violated.

"Yes well, it was a necessity." Shade said with a chuckle. " But it is for the good of us all. Once we discover how to release your energy, we can start the ritual."

"Ritual? What is this?" Cosmo asked.

"You will see. But rest easy, my henchmen still need to gather what we need to perform the ritual. I will bring you something to occupy your time meanwhile. But until this is all ready, perhaps you and I can get to know each other better…"

Shade said this last sentence rather seductively, and with that the image in the mirror disappeared, leaving Cosmo staring at her own reflection in the polished glass.

"Tails…I will do what I must to make you happy again…" Cosmo whispered softly to herself, staring up at the crystalline ceiling.

**Note: Now that my stupid classes and finals are over I can start updating more again**


	12. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Akves clutched a handful of dirt from the ground in anger. "We have failed Shade!!"

Rouge, who had regained consciousness but still suffered a bad headache and was bruised. She crossed her arms angrily as she listened to Akves yell and scream.

"Curse that hedgehog, that echidna, that fox!" Akves yelled.

"Sitting here screaming isn't going to help us Akves." Said Rouge angrily. They may have beaten us once, we'll just have to steal the Master Emerald from them some other way."

"Any bright ideas?!" Akves snapped.

"Don't look at me, you're the one who supposedly has mystical powers. I have too much of a headache to think right now…"Rouge replied.

Akves grumbled, "I bet Shade has already seen our failure by now in that mirror of his, if we don't act soon…wait a minute…"

Rouge looked up at Akves, and he stood up with renewed confidence. "yes…?"

"That fox Miles, he had another Chaos Emerald on him, didn't he?" Akves asked.

"Well I'm pretty sure that's what he uses to power that airplane of his." Rouge answered.

"Alright then…there's a one in seven chance that this might work…" said Akves, as he closed his eyes, preparing for something.

"What might work?" asked Rouge.

"If he indeed has the orange emerald of Sandopolis, I should be able to control its power. Remember, I am the guardian of that emerald." replied Akves with a grin.

Rouge smirked. "Now we're talking, if you can somehow get that plane to crash land they'll have a much harder time running from us."

"Indeed…"said Akves, "now silence, I must detect their location, clear my mind, and focus my energy with that of the emerald's."

* * *

"So let me get this straight, " said Knuckles, "Shade is Sevag's son, who was sealed away in the Hidden Palace Zone and somehow awakened, and now he wants to bring Sevag back?" 

"Yes, that's pretty much it." Said Tails, who was busy piloting the airplane.

"And Shade is also your brother?" Knuckles asked.

"We have the same mother…" Tails replied, reluctant to refer to anyone as evil as Shade as his brother.

"Just when I thought I knew everything about the Floating Island…" Knuckles sighed.

"So you don't know anything about Shade, Knuckles?" Sonic asked.

"There had been rumors of Sevag and Midiana's illegitimate offspring, but nothing valid. My guess is that the entire thing must have been kept under close wraps." Knuckles explained. "I do know who that wolf guy, Akves is though."

"Really? Who is he?" Tails asked.

"He was a high priest of the god Shadefretep, the patron diety of Sandopolis. Who coincidently…was half-jackal and half-fox."

"Just like Shade…" breathed Tails.

"That would be my guess as to why he's taking orders from Shade." Said Knuckles, "He probably thinks Shade is some divine incarnation of that god."

"That's pretty scary…"Amy commented.

"It still doesn't explain why Shadow and Rouge are following him, but maybe we'll find that out all in good time." Said Sonic.

"Well, at any rate Akves' long time connection with Sevag could be yet another reason. It started as a sort of teacher-student relationship between them, until Sevag's power grew ever more, and Akves became one of Sevag's underlings during the time he searched for the emeralds to bring back Midiana, while also destroying the echidna race in the process." Knuckles explained.

"So no wonder he'd want to bring Sevag back. Anything else you can tell us about this guy hat might help?" asked Sonic.

"Well, aside from being priest of Shadefretep, he was also keeper of the orange Chaos emerald, the emerald sacred to the god Shadefretep." Said Knuckles. He was then interrupted by a gasp from Tails.

"What is it?" asked Sonic.

"The orange Chaos Emerald? Th-that's what's powering the engine of this plane!" Tails exclaimed.

"Of all the luck!" Knuckles lamented, "Tails, this could be dangerous. Akves has total control of the powers of the emerald in this plane's engine."

"What does that mean? Can he track us?" asked Amy.

"Well, yes. But he can also do much worse. If he hasn't done anything by now though it must mean he doesn't know we have it." Said Knuckles." If we're lucky, maybe he's too delirious to think of using his powers."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Tails.

"There's one more thing I didn't tell you." Said Knuckles " One day after performing some sort of secret ritual with the Chaos Emeralds, something backfired on him and he got accidentally infused with a large amount of chaos energy, as did Sevag. Sevag later learned to control it…but Akves…he was driven insane by it."

"Driven insane? Wow…"said Amy.

"Yes, and he had to be locked away. But the thing is, with the high priest out of the way, it gave the Echidna king just the excuse he was looking for to invade Sandopolis and take what he wanted."

"…my mother…" Tails muttered.

"Huh? How did you know?" asked Knuckles.

Tails shut his eyes for a moment, beginning to feel strange. "I don't know…it just came to me…"

Return the emerald to it's rightful place… 

A voice spoke into Tails' mind, overwhelming him. The other's looked on, wondering what was wrong.

Return the emerald to the kingdom of the sand… 

"Return the emerald to the kingdom of the sand…" Tails repeated.

"What's going on with him?!" Sonic shouted.

"It must be some sort of mind control!" Knuckles exclaimed.

The orange Chaos Emerald, it belongs to me! 

This time everyone heard the booming voice, and after it spoke there was a heavy jolt as sparks flew from the plane's engines.

"It's Akves! He's realized we have the emerald!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"Tails, snap out of it! We're going to crash!" Sonic yelled, shaking him as Amy cried in panic.

But just then the glass of the windshield shattered as they heard a loud howl. Tails came to, and realized with a shock what was happening.

"Hold on you guys!" Tails yelled." This plane is going to crash!"

Tails pressed some buttons on the dashboard, but it was seemingly in vain as the airplane plummeted down into the jungle below.

* * *

Akves and Rouge stood watching as they could see the smoke from the plane crash in the distance. 

"Heh heh…they should have known better than to use my emerald in their engine." Akves smirked.

"Th-they aren't dead, are they?" asked Rouge, trying not to show her concern for them.

"Well they wouldn't be any use to us dead now would they? No, they should live. And thanks to that orange emerald, I'll always know where they are." Akves beamed.

"Wouldn't they have guessed you could track them with it though?" Rouge asked.

"They might, but no matter. They're trying to gather the emeralds too you know, and they know letting me get it would be disastrous. No…they'll keep it with them if they know what's good for them." Said Akves. "Come rouge, let us go after those fools…"

Akves turned, his cloak flowing behind him, as he and Rouge went after the plane crash.

* * *

**Yes, I know it's been centuries since I last updated...accept my deepest apologies. A bad case of writer's block plus a hectic time in college will do that to an author.**


	13. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Shadow the Hedgehog stared up at the large, imposing tower standing before him, reaching into the sky like a giant mechanical arm grasping for the clouds. This looked like the right place. Only the one person he was seeking out would build something so monstrous in only six months.

"It seems the good doctor has done well for himself after that incident with Tails." Said Shadow, recalling the destruction of the New Robotropolis. "And I almost thought Dr. Eggman had been killed in that little skirmish…"

The doctor obviously had too much time on his hands if he were able to build something this massive in such a short amount of time. But again, this was Dr. Eggman. There seemed to be no limit to what he could accomplish when he wanted to. Shadow of course knew this all to well.

"Well in any case, taking the emerald shouldn't be too hard…" said Shadow, "…and once that is done, then Shade and Sevag live up to their end of the bargain once and for all. Or else."

Shadow held out a green Chaos Emerald and vanished, teleporting somewhere within the tower.

* * *

"Hey, where'd he go now?" asked Charmy, as Espio spied on Eggman's secret base with a pair of binoculars, on a cliff side some distance away.

"It seems Shadow used chaos control to get into the base." Espio replied, "We need to get those emeralds from Shadow and Eggman somehow. Between the two of them they have two of the seven emeralds."

"Well, any ideas?" asked Vector.

"I'm beginning to think this job will be best suited for myself. Though I wasn't prepared to have to deal with Shadow too…" Espio answered.

"Aww does that mean I don't get to come?" Charmy whined.

"I'm sorry Charmy, you'd only get in the way. I may have enough trouble as it is. Why don't you stay behind and guard our emeralds?" Espio motioned toward a box sitting at Vector's feet. It was specially made to mask the signal of the emeralds from any radar.

"Why is it that all I ever seem to do is stay behind and guard things!" Charmy complained.

"Ah that's not true Charmy, you were a big help in getting us the other two emeralds." Vector said reassuringly. Charmy crossed his arms and pouted.

"Well then, I'm off. Wish me luck…" said Espio, as he faded out and became invisible.

* * *

Shadow snuck his way through the corridors, being very careful not to alert anyone of his presence. At any rate, it seemed Dr. Eggman was low on robots at the moment. The corridors were largely void of any of his usually guards.

_All I need is your emerald, doctor, and you'll never have to hear from me again._

Coming back to his old master was not something Shadow had looked forward too. He wondered if Shade had assigned him this mission on purpose. It was within his twisted sense of humor to do something like that. But, once he gave Shade those emeralds, it would be worth putting up with taking orders from him. Then Sevag would have to fulfill the promise he had made when Shadow had found his way into his pyramid and awoken him. He would have to bring Maria back.

_Not far now…_

Shadow could feel that the emerald was getting closer. He turned a corner, and at the end of a long hallway was a large door, guarded by robotic guards. Shadow smirked. This was it…

* * *

"Bo-kun!!" came an angry voice upon a mechanical throne. "Haven't those salvaged robots gotten back yet?"

"Yes doctor!" Bo-kun replied, "The last two that were still operational will be here pretty soon. "

"Well have them sent in immediately." Said Dr. Eggman, stroking his long orange moustache.

The final phase of rebuilding his base was nearly complete. A few days ago some of his soldiers had discovered a room in the basement of his previous ruined tower where many of his old creations had been locked away. Although they had been locked up for being failures, it seemed that now that he was short on robotics he might need them after all. Many of his old Swatbots, badniks, and other devious creations that Sonic had defeated in the past were now in the process of being restored and updated with newer technology.

The doors to Dr. Eggman's chamber slid open, as a fleet of robotic soldiers escorted the last two operational robots to have survived the Robotropolis disaster. As soon as Dr. Eggman looked at them, he groaned, perhaps remembering the reason he had locked all those robots up in that room in the first place. They were two of his earliest creations, and also two of his most foolish. First was a tall robotic chicken, and next to him was a shorter green robot that moved along on treads and had a drill on each arm.

"Of all the robots to survive, why did you two have to be included?" Dr. Eggman lamented.

"Doctor Robotnik! Thank you so much for reactivating us your evilness! Ha-ha ha-haaa!" the tall, chicken-like one squawked.

"We promise not to mess up from now on!" added the shorter one as they bowed before Dr. Eggman and kissed his boots.

""Blast it…I even miss Decoe and Bocoe now." Dr. Eggman grumbled.

"Sorry sir, "said Bo-kun sadly, "they got destroyed in the explosion remember?"

"I know that!" Dr. Eggman snapped, as he kicked the two robots off his boots. "Now as for you, Scratch and Grounder, I believe if I enhance your capabilities as well as your intelligence, perhaps you may be of some minimal use to me."

"Did you hear that? He's not gonna deactivate us!" Scratch cackled.

""See? He does still like us! Well of course, he always liked me better…" said Grounder proudly.

Scratch slapped him. "He does not! I was made first, he likes _me_ best!"

"Guards! Take these two buckets of bolts to be reprogrammed! Perhaps when we raise their IQ's to above fifty they may actually be useful!" Dr. Eggman ordered.

The Swatbots seized Scratch and Grounder, dragging them away as they tried to hit each other. Just as the doors slid shut however, an alarm sounded suddenly, almost causing Dr. Eggman to fall out of his chair.

* * *

Espio looked about as the alarm sounded and red lights blinked throughout the corridors.

He was sure that it wasn't himself that set off the alarm. It could only have been one other person: Shadow. With desperation, Espio stealthily ran through the hallways, past armed guards. But soon doors hidden within the corridors slammed shut. Espio was trapped as a door in front of him and a door behind him slid shut. The alarm left Espio's ears ringing. And just as he was working out a way to escape, he heard a strange sound from behind. Turning around, he saw the cloaked figure of Shadow, carrying two Chaos Emeralds.

"What have we here?" Shadow said. " Why, it's one of Sonic's friends isn't it?"

Espio assumed a fighting stance. "You made a big mistake, siding with Shade, Shadow. Don't you remember how Sevag betrayed you the last time and helped Tails instead?"

Shadow chuckled. "Oh I haven't forgotten that…but this time, things are different. This time I'm making sure Sevag fulfills my desire _before_ I help him regenerate after being brought back."

"You're being a fool Shadow. No one can trust him! Now if you give me those emeralds there might still be time to seal Shade away forever!" Espio shouted over the alarm.

"Heh, nice try. But I'm afraid it's not working. Sevag may have tricked me once, I won't be tricked again. He will bring back Maria or I will send him and Shade back where they came from!" Shadow declared.

"Maria? Is that what this is all about?" Espio said, his eyes widening.

"Sayonara, friend. Have fun in Eggman's prison." Shadow said with a grin. "Just hope that he's not still into robotisizing people…chaos control!"

And with that Shadow held out a Chaos Emerald and vanished using chaos control. As he did, one of the doors slid open, and behind it were more robotic soldiers than Espio could count. Where they even came from he couldn't guess.

"Freeze, intruder!" said the lead one in a monotone, "Hand over the emerald!"

It seemed that despite all his ninjitsu skill, Espio was trapped.


	14. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The sounds of pipe organs echoed throughout the Hidden Palace, carrying with it a dark, melancholy tone. Cosmo listened as she gazed out of the window in her chamber, wearing a long, lacey black dress, which Shade had provided her with. She stared down at the boiling pits of the Lava reef below, sighing and thinking to herself. Cosmo was not fond of always being the damsel in distress, but there was little she could do about it now. She was a prisoner. Despite Shade's attempts o make her feel more at home, more at ease, she felt it was no different than being locked in the dark, damp dungeon she imagined Cream was still locked up in. She hoped that Tails and the others would rescue her soon, and do away with Shade for good.

But did she really wish that? Cosmo looked down, remembering her conversation with Shade. If Cosmo could cooperate with Shade, at least for a little while, then tails could have his mother back. She'd finally be able to repay her debt to Tails after all she put him through. Her only question was whether or not she could trust Shade. Cosmo didn't want to admit it to herself, but she was beginning to feel sympathy for Shade. He was Tails brother after all, and he seemed like Tails in many ways.

While Cosmo was deep in thought she had failed to notice that the pipe organ had stopped playing. She was startled as she felt two hands softly grab her shoulders. She turned around, and there stood Shade.

"Deep in thought, are we Cosmo?" Shade chuckled.

"What do you want?" Cosmo asked irritably.

"Only to check up on you my dear." Shade replied.

"Well, I'm fine." Said Cosmo bluntly.

Shade studied her, walking slowly around her as he looked over her body, making Cosmo very uncomfortable. She felt his breath down her neck.

"I have a feeling I know where your power lies Cosmo." Said Shade, breaking the silence.

"Oh? And where might that be?" asked Cosmo.

"Well you see Cosmo, you have the potential to reach enormous levels of power, you proved that on the day you defeated the Metarex." Said Shade.

"Yes, that was my adult form…" said Cosmo, reliving the painful memories of forcing Tails to shoot her to save the galaxy, something she never forgave herself for.

"Tell me more about this form of yours, if you'd be so kind." Said Shade, "Tell me, can you adopt this form whenever you wish? And is it possible to get back to your normal form after doing so?"

"I'm sorry…I know so little about it myself," Cosmo replied," …it had to do with the jewel my mother gave me…and I had to be under tremendous pressure for it to work."

"So it had to do with an explosion of energy within your body, amplified not only because of your jewel, but the disparity of the situation as well." Said Shade. Cosmo found it remarkable how much he sounded like Tails when he explained things, just like Tails explaining how his newest invention works.

"I suppose that is accurate." Cosmo answered." Only…my jewel wasn't exactly resurrected along with me."

"Yes, I know that it wasn't." said Shade, "However, we do have the choice of an alternate energy source, and one that will work just as well as your jewel did."

"What might that be?" asked Cosmo with interest.

"All in good time dear Cosmo." Said Shade with a smirk, "As for now, I do think I've finally figured out how to unleash your energy without the jewel. The energy resides in you after all, not the jewel."

Cosmo seemed puzzled. "What am I going to have to do? How do I unleash my energy?"

Shade chuckled and walked closer to Cosmo. She gasped lightly as he pressed her against the wall, his face inches from hers, making her blush. Before she decided whether she should struggle or not Shade lifted his hand and lightly pointed at her throat.

"Here…this is where your energy center is." Said Shade simply.

"M-my throat?" asked Cosmo weakly.

"Your voice." Shade replied. He took a step back, giving Cosmo room to breathe. He seemed to enjoy Cosmo's reactions. "I need your voice for my incantation to work."

Cosmo still blushed, trying to control herself. "S-so…are you saying you want me to sing something?

"As a matter of fact, indeed I do." said Shade with his arms crossed, again explaining in a very Tails-like manner. "If you've wondered why I continue to play my pipe organ, it's because I'm trying to perfect the tune that will make the spell work. There is great magic in music you know, every song has energy to it."

Cosmo had never thought of music having any supernatural elements, but as she thought about it she recalled when she was a little girl, and her mother used singing in a similar way. She had been playing a friendly game of chase on their starship with her sister Galaxina when she tripped and skinned her knees badly. Galaxina brought Cosmo to their mother, who at this point was in tree form. She surrounded Cosmo with a soothing light, and in Cosmo's head she could hear her mother singing softly; she felt as if her mother was holding her, in her normal form, and her pain melted away, her wounds healing quickly.

"Shade, my mother used to do such things…" Cosmo said after a long silence.

"Indeed, Earthia was a tremendous healer." Shade replied, as if reading Cosmo's thoughts. "To put it simply Cosmo, I'm not sure if this is just you, your family or your race, but I sense in you what is called the Voice of the Siren. You have great power behind your voice, much like the sirens of ancient mythology."

Cosmo subconsciously put her hand to her throat, wondering if it was true. "I never…used this before. Are you sure?"

"Yes Cosmo, I am. I've studied your body and have discovered your throat chakra is dominant." Shade smirked. "Besides, just listen to your voice…its beautiful is it not?"

Cosmo blushed again without meaning to. "I…I wouldn't know…"

Shade chuckled "Ah, so modest. Now then…I want you to practice it."

Shade pointed to the other end of the room, and when Cosmo turned she saw a harp she could have sworn was not in the room before.

"But…I've never played the harp." Said Cosmo shyly.

"How do you think I learned to play pipe organ, do you think I sent for someone to come all the way here and give me lessons? Just play whatever tune comes into your mind. And after being left alone with it long enough, trust me, the tunes will come. " Said Shade with a smile, and with that he suddenly faded away, leaving Cosmo alone in the room. Cautiously, she walked over to the harp, and sat down.

* * *

Shadow teleported into Shade's throne room just as Shade seated himself at his pipe organ again.

"Why hello Shadow…I see you were successful." Said Shade.

"Yes, very successful. And what's more, I got one of Sonic's friends to take the fall for me." Said Shadow, holding two Chaos Emeralds.

"So that means we now have three altogether…Akves and Rouge better not disappoint us." Shade said.

"When will we have what it takes to bring Sevag back?" asked Shadow firmly.

"Patience…the Chaos Emeralds we have now should be enough in case we need any back-up energy. I doubt we will need any now however. All we need the emeralds for is for after we bring Sevag back, when we regenerate his body."

"So are we close?" Shadow inquired insistently.

"Quite close in fact." Said Shade with a smirk. " You see Shadow, once Cosmo discovers for herself how to unlock her true power, we will be ready. After that, Sevag will be regenerated, and we'll use the emeralds to fulfill our end of the bargain, and resurrect your precious Maria."

"And how do I know you're going to uphold your end of the bargain?" asked Shadow angrily. Truth be told, some of what Espio said to him had gotten under his skin, he was beginning to question Shade's trustworthiness.

"Heh…the truth of the matter is, you don't." said Shade, turning around to face Shadow. "But consider this…what choice do you have? Do you know anyone else who is able to raise the dead?"

Shadow looked down angrily, surrendering to Shade's logic." I suppose you're right…"

"Now then, I want you to bring me the rest of the emeralds. I will call for you when we are ready for the ritual, and I want you to report back here when you find an emerald."

"Yes Shade…I will…Shadow somewhat begrudgingly tossed an emerald to Shade, and disappeared with Chaos Control, leaving Shade to continue perfecting his tune on the pipe organ.


End file.
